Stumbleine – Fade Into You (feat. Steffaloo)

In 1997, there was a mild public uproar over the gratuitous violence and nudity in director Paul Verhoven’s “Starship Troopers”. However, there was little to no mention in the media of its biggest crime: the use (or misuse) of Mazzy Star’s pop hit Fade Into You to score a cheesy fight scene involving ‘90s B-movie staple Casper Van Dien. Alright, so maybe it wasn’t a total abomination, given that the female being fought over was the foxy Denise Richards. But out of all the romantic, why did it have to be in a movie about an alien bug takeover?

Fortunately, two promising underground musicians, Stumbleine and Steffaloo, have collaborated to give Fade Into You another fighting chance. One a seasoned producer, the other a vocalist. Stumbeleine brings production experience from his role as one third of dark ambient trio Swarms, while Steffaloo is part of a charming new breed of singer/songwriters.

Their re-imagination of Fade Into You equates exceptionally well with the original. New textures and sound effects are added, while the love-sick lethargy of the vocals is maintained. This time around the swaying 6/8 time signature is dramatically accented by syncopated heartbeat drums that land like love-struck meteors. In exchange for the driving acoustic guitar strum of the original, we are treated to atmospheric, blurry electric chords that tug on our heartstrings just like Mazzy Star did in the 90s. It’s a great soundtrack to a slow dance with someone you have a serious crush on, like in this wonderful scene, which totally makes up for the whole “Starship Troopers” thing.

Here’s to hoping this version can find a worthy cinematic home of its own.

The people who love only once in their lives are really the shallow people. What they call their loyalty, and their fidelity, I call either the lethargy of custom or their lack of imagination. Faithfulness is to the emotional life what consistency is to the life of the intellect – simply a confession of failure.— Oscar Wilde